His Bag of Bells
by Matron of Madness
Summary: Okay, so temporarily hiring Labelle while Gracie remodels wasn't Tom's best idea ever. She's a terrible worker. But she really needs the bells, and for some reason, he can't get enough of her company. So it's kind of a win-win situation, right? ..Right?
1. Just Maybe

_I don't own Animal Crossing, or it's characters!_

**Warning: This is a sequel. If you haven't read another story of mine, _Her Crystal Ball_, then this may not make much sense, as this chapter picks up from the middle of the last chapter from HCB.**

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><p><em>Chapter I: Introduction; Just Maybe<em>

–  
>Saturday<br>Evening Hours  
>Carniven City<br>–

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><p>Tom examined the bustle of the city with amused eyes. Never before had he seen it so busy and alive with people; it seemed like each year they celebrated the fireworks festival, more and more animals showed up each time. Of course, he loved any festival in general, as they were usually the perfect times to make bells. Though it seemed he would be falling short on participation that year.<p>

"That's what I get for blackmailing Labelle," he muttered to himself, chuckling in amusement. He thought over his recent deal with the porcupine – she would be working with him for the duration of the time that Gracie was remodeling the store, but he wondered how long that would really take. He should have asked her to pay him in return for helping her instead of just dragging her to the silly festival, but it was all the same. She wouldn't have been able to pay up much, anyways.

She needed the rent bells after all, and he wasn't that cold-hearted. Walking over towards the set of buildings that led to the stores connected with Katrina's fortune shop, he caught a glimpse of the black cat slipping outside for a breath of fresh air. From what he'd heard people saying, she'd been hiding out a lot of the day. A few animals would swear she was casting spells on people, whilst others just seemed to think she was sleeping.

Really, he didn't know why everyone got so worked up with gossip in the city. It was like being in an overcrowded women's society or something. Besides, he wasn't old enough to be interested in other people's lives, not even close.

Heaving a sigh, he pushed himself off the wall and padded over to where the back cat was leaning over the railing, her eyes evoking that of a troubled look. When he walked up, it washed away though, and she smiled, friendly as ever.

"Ah, Tom. Nice to see you here. What's up?" She straightened herself, crossing her arms against her chest curiously.

"Will you be running a stand tonight? You'll probably be getting a lot of business, if so..." She nodded, laughing under her breath, but held back a response; he knew she wasn't so much in it for the bells, as she was just interested in fortune telling to begin with.

"Are you not opening a shop?"

"No, I'll be accompanying Labelle for the entire night, due to our agreement the other day." Tom fidgeted with the same old tuxedo he usually wore when in his store, not bothering to explain to her what that agreement was. "I figured since I'll be stuck with Labelle for quite a while this fall, maybe winter too, I might as well spend some more time with her. Makes sense, to be able to trust the person I'll be putting in charge of my merchandise after all."

Katrina's face twisted into a nervous one, but she didn't comment. Everyone knew that Labelle was about as hard a worker as a flower was. "Just keep in mind you're the one that asked her," she muttered, sighing heavily. "Because your opinion will change."

"I doubt that... she's not that bad, is she?" When his question was met with silence, he nodded. "Right... I trust she'll get the hang of it though. After all, I've cracked harder lazy people." He briefly stole a glance at a blue-haired human girl, desperately trying to fight off a sparkler by stomping on it. His gaze switched to Labelle, whom was also in her company.

Katrina watched him, then smiled, looking away. "She'll be a challenge for you, Tom. But I think you'll get it..."

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><p>–<p>

Tom left Katrina once she retreated back into her house, something about drawing, and approached the porcupine, whom was just leaving the company of Lyle. He recognized him as the otter that did insurance for most of the population in this area, but he didn't know much else. Said otter turned and glanced at him before making his way back over to calm Dr. Shrunk, whom was on the verge of falling on his stomach from laughing.

"Did something happen over here?" The raccoon looked down at Labelle, curiously. She glanced up at him and pointed at Navigale. The human was about ready to hit the laughing axolotl from the looks of it, but at least it was a familiar face for Tom, though not a very welcoming one at the moment. He partially was afraid she genuinely was going to hurt him. "That sums it up."

"Pretty much!" Labelle regained herself almost instantly, jumping up with that same goofy smile on her face she always had. He chuckled, shaking his head. Silence enveloped them for a little bit, until she broke it again. "Hey, Tom, about working at your shop for a while... you're going to walk me through it, right? I mean, Navigale told me that you do deliveries and stuff, but I don't know that town very well..."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that. As long as you get the item to the buyer, you can spend as much time getting lost as you want. Just get used to it quickly." She seemed satisfied with that answer, but still relatively worried. Well, he supposed she would be. She did fall asleep for a few days in his shop after all, which gave him an idea of what kind of worker she was. Gracie was nice to let her keep her job at all. "Don't worry about it yet," he repeated. "Besides, I'm marking up the deal. Not only do you have to stay here with me during the festival, but you will also have to act pleasant, and not worried whatsoever."

"Says Mister Prim-n-Proper raccoon," she grumbled, huffing. He rolled his eyes at her childish remark, but nonetheless tugged on her arm gently.

"I promise I will go easy on you for the first few days, okay? As long as you don't attempt to use my cash register or fall asleep on the job, we'll go paw-in-paw."

"What? So you're saying you'll be nice to me? What if your nephews get jealous, then? They'd want special treatment too!" She giggled. Tom blinked a few times, surprised. Special treatment? Is that was it really was? He just wanted to make sure she got settled in before pushing her around... then again, he hadn't cut Navigale slack at all. How odd...

"Let's just look around before it gets too dark. I'd actually like to have time to watch the fireworks... provided you don't fall asleep on me, that is," he muttered, shaking his head. Silly thoughts. Labelle responded to that with a pout. It was really amusing to him how mature and serious she could be one minute, then the next it was like she was a little kid again. Then there were times when she was tired, and she'd seem serene, when she'd fall asleep in his shop, completely undisturbed... He briefly got annoyed at himself for even noticing these things. Then again, that was part of being friends, right? Noticing the other person...

"Okay, I do _not_ fall asleep during everything, you know!"

He stared at her, surfing back to his earlier thoughts of her coming in to his shop. He didn't know what warranted the visits, but regardless, a lot of skipping work at GracieGrace's had occurred on her part, all replaced with sleeping on his desk. "Could've fooled me." He tried not to laugh at her sulking as they continued along. His nephews were going to love this girl, he just knew it. He side-glanced at her, smiling. Yeah, he knew it.

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><p>–<br>Night Hours  
>–<p>

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><p>Tom glared at the stuffed teddy bear Labelle held up to her, hugging it as if for dear life. "So many bells just for that? That's <em>all <em>you want from here?" She nodded happily, not verbally answering him for she was too busy cooing at the object. He groaned. "Honestly, you remind me of a little girl sometimes, Labelle..."

"So that's basically saying you think I'm cute, right?" He almost tripped over his own feet, barely catching himself before he fell forward. Labelle's eyes widened, then she sighed. "I-I was kidding! Geez, calm down, Tom... Sometimes YOU remind me of a little boy."

He looked annoyed at first, then his expression was replaced with a calm smile. "Okay, okay, point taken. It was your own fault."

"I-It was not-!" She cut off, jumping as a loud whistle shot off into the air, followed by a loud boom. Practically latching onto Tom's arm, he had to side step to avoid her quills, sighing in relief when they missed him by less than an inch.

"It's just the fireworks. I guess we didn't notice the time, huh? We've been walking around that long?" He rubbed his eyes, watching as color after color began to explode in the sky. Labelle froze beside him, staring up as well. They were still back towards where GracieGrace was, not exactly up close to them, but they were still bright and noticeable, nonetheless. He stood there watching them calmly, keeping track of how many went off.

Once he got his feel of counting, he looked down at the porcupine, whom had forgotten to unlatch herself from him, and sighed. He really didn't get how their sudden friendship had formed, to tell the truth. Out of nowhere, she began to hang out with him at his shop, and now somehow they were at the festival together like they'd been best friends since they first met. He had been fully convinced she found him weird...

He glanced down at the teddy bear again. It'd been a long time since he'd bought a gift for anyone, aside from the tuxedos for his nephews. He didn't know whether to mourn over the lost bells or feel good that she was having a nice time, despite the suddenness of the situation.

Perhaps he'd been too pushy, telling her to come with him in order to get a temporary job at Nook's. He could have just come on his own to sell stuff. That probably would have been more beneficial.

"Labelle?" He drew her attention away from the fireworks, and she noticed she still had ahold of his arm. Letting out a nervous laugh, she released him and took a step to the side, awkwardly staring at air. "When would you like to start work?"

She stared at him, then smiled, clasping her paws together. "Immediately! You promised me you'd let me start immediately. Besides, I have a rent payment to make this month, so without GracieGrace there for my pay checks, you better get me in there fast."

He smiled back at her and turned his attention to the fireworks once more, whilst she continued to examine him. "Then you start tomorrow at ten. My shop is on the farthest east side of Karnia. Don't be late." He heard her giggle contently, and the sound made his ear twitch.

Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't regret hiring her as much as he thought he would.

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><p><strong>As always, the first chapter is nothing special. Just filling you in on what happened between them during the last chapter of Her Crystal Ball. No fluff yet, I'm sorry. Gotta build it up! But we have no love triangle to get in the way this time. xD Fluff will make more appearances because of that. ...Love me some fluff.~<strong>

**If you are a return reader of mine, welcome back. If not, and you feel lost, do yourself a favor and go find all the Labelle/Tom sections in some chapters of HCB. I swear, they will clear so much of this chapter up. xD They're short and easy to read, promise!**

**Sorry for the uneventful first chapter. As per usual with all my stories, 'tis not until the second chapter when things start getting on track. I don't know if it's cause the number one just hates me or what, but... :"D**

**Yay for this wonderful crack-pairing that I thought of randomly while writing HCB! Now they get their own story... and thus, we're back at the beginning, ladies and gentlemen. x)**

**-Matron of Madness.**


	2. Peculiar

_I don't own Animal Crossing, or it's characters!_

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><p>–<br>Monday  
>10:30 A.M.<br>Karnia  
>–<p>

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><p>"She's thirty minutes late," the raccoon muttered under his breath, paws hovering over the cash register. Tom's nephews shot him a glance and then snickered, whispering amongst themselves. They'd been more than excited to hear that help would be arriving at the store, and he figured they were even more pumped by the fact she was late. They were of the mischievous sort, so he shouldn't be surprised.<p>

Then again, he also shouldn't be surprised by Labelle's current absence. She had a knack for it.

Shaking his head, he shooed off the younger animals with a flick of his paw, listening as they obediently ran off to help a few of the wandering costumers in the store. After the upgrade in size, curtesy of land-lording all the houses in Karnia, he'd received many more customers in the last few weeks.

"Well deserved," he huffed, nodding in satisfaction. An idle frog gave him a glance and then scampered away, causing the greedy raccoon to clear his throat. "Err..." He had to stop expressing his thoughts aloud.

_Ding_.

His ear flicked as the sound of panicked scuffles came from the entrance, and was unsurprised when an out-of-breath Labelle appeared from the other side of the glass doors. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I got on the bus with Kapp'n on time, but there was an explosion and-"

"Ridiculous," Tom interrupted, giving her a baffled glance as she drug herself up to the counter. She shrunk under his gaze, clearly used to suffering the wrath of Gracie, and expecting an even harder time from him. "Honestly, didn't I tell you not to be late? Business is an important field of life, you know! What if you were late to something important, like... well... What do people like you consider important?" He drew a blank face. She huffed.

"O-Oh, quiet!" Labelle crossed her arms, staring to the side stubbornly. Tom looked her over, questioning his actions; he could already tell it'd be smart of him to fire her then and there. It would save him a lot of trouble in the future, even bells if his instincts were telling him well enough she would end up being a problem. But, still. He had to give her a chance... she needed the bells after all.

His kindly nature was going to be the death of his banking account, he swore it then and there.

The raccoon shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, sighing exasperatedly. "Yes, yes, well! Just make sure it does not happen again. Otherwise, I'll start making you pay to work for me instead of the other way around." He snickered.

"Devious raccoon..."

"No, none of that. You may either call me Mister Devious Raccoon, boss, or your highness." He moved away from the cash-register, motioning for her to take over as a few animals began to approach with their purchases. She took her place.

"I will call you Tom, and you will like it." Labelle nodded matter-of-factly, then stared at his tuxedo. He noticed a thoughtful look in her eyes, and only then did he take note of her clothing; while she was always fashionable at GracieGrace's, her outfit consisted of only a plain t-shirt and jeans today. How very odd. She smiled and shrugged. "S-Sorry... I'll dress fancier tomorrow." She laughed heartily, then sneezed, taking her attention to the impatient customers in front of her.

He figured that was nothing new to her. Honestly, her bedraggled features seemed... out of place, however. Even for someone as ditzy as her. He listened to her sneeze again as she worked, then sighed, turning to make his way towards his nephews. He wanted to make sure they didn't see her during the opening hours – introductions were all well, but not while it was busy.

And he knew how long those two could talk.

"Timmy, Tommy," he rested his paws on their shoulders and ushered them over to the side for a moment. "Why don't you two go upstairs and see how everything is up there?"

"Huh? But all the costumers are here—here." Both of them nodded, echoing one-another's words with scary accuracy. That was one thing Nook never understood about them, and never would. He didn't know whether to find it creepy or cute they said the same things at the same time.

He stole a glance at the cash-register, which he immediately regretted, because both twins looked over at well. Their eyes lit up, and as quiet and calm as they usually were when working, meeting a new friend – especially one that would be lifting their work load – was a big deal for them.

"She's here!" Timmy smiled and ran over to the register, pushing by the crowd of animals with his twin in tow behind him. They reached Labelle and latched onto her arms, hastily shaking them as if it were her paw. She smiled brightly and welcomed the odd meeting gesture, as if it were an every day occurrence. Despite a sneeze here and there, she seemed delighted by the visitors.

"Honestly..." Tom shook his head, then smiled and made his way towards the second floor. "I suppose _I'll _be the one to check upstairs."

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><p>–<br>11:20 A.M.  
>–<p>

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><p>"I'm going to take my break now!" Tom stopped fiddling with re-stocking some of the on-paw products, looking up from his work to see Labelle dragging herself lazily to the chair she'd sat in so many times while just hanging around the shop.<p>

"You get thirty minutes, then." He nodded, acknowledging her decision. Timmy immediately moved to take over the register – though he had to grab a stool and stand on it in order to reach the buttons. They were smart kids, he thought, but it confused him. They knew how to work a cash-register but had trouble figuring out simple math problems at times. Yet they could hand out money. Kids these days.

"Uuugh..." He looked back over at Labelle upon hearing her, less-than-lively, moan. He blinked a few times, then dismissed the letter paper he had as secondary priority. Walking over to the porcupine, he leaned his paws against his knee-caps, tilting his head in concern.

"You don't sound very good, Labelle. Are you okay?" His lips tugged down in a worried frown. Greedy and money-grubbing he may be, but he understood that employees had limits, and sometimes those living creatures were more important than products. One different he had with Redd, he figured. Well, until recently.

"Just a little woozy is all. I think it's just my allergies acting up. Darn weather." She pouted childishly, but he was going to assume that wasn't the gist of it. She really did seem to be in pain; having taken care of Tommy and Timmy during the stomach virus season had taught him a bit about how to notice such things.

"Are you sure you aren't sick? We did stay out a little late last night... It's fully possible you've caught something. Maybe even small, like a cold."

"Hey, hey, I've only worked an hour. Don't go trying to give me time off yet." She batted at his nose lightly. He recoiled at her touch, blinking rapidly. "Besides, you want me to get to work right? Just a small rest, and I'm-a ready to go!"

Despite her upbeat attitude, she sneezed again. Tom straightened his posture, crossing his arms. "True, I want you to work. Get my money's worth out of hiring you, however temporary it may be. But not at the risk of your health. Is that why you were late today?"

Labelle went quiet at that, squirming uncomfortably. "Err... Okay, okay, fine. But it's just a little stomach ache, it'll go away." He studied her, then shook his head. She really was stubborn. Almost as stubborn as him, really. He found that an interesting quality, for someone who spent most of their time idly gossiping and gawking as clothing. With air-headed qualities like that... well...

"Very well then." She smiled at his acceptance, then went back to lounging in the chair. Tom took his leave and made his way to the register, gently moving Timmy down from the stool and pushing him back towards his brother. They glanced at their uncle briefly, smiled, then went back to aiding the customers.

Mondays were always busy.

Opening the register to make sure he'd sorted the bells inside it correctly, he stole another glance at Labelle. Leave it to her to show up to her first day of work sick. And only an hour into it, too. How she would last the next ten, he had no idea. At least now he knew the story behind her very casual appearance.

Why was he still thinking about it? She was fine, she said so herself. Besides, he'd be cashing in a lot of bells on her paycheck. With the money he'd be losing, he needed to get his worth out of her! Well, anyways, that's what he kept telling himself.

He heard her sneeze once more and sighed. She would be the death of his banking account, indeed.

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><p>–<br>2:15 P.M.  
>–<p>

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><p>"There you-" Labelle paused and coughed into her sleeve, pushing the bag of paper to the goose in front of her. "-go." The female stared at her a few second, then smiled sheepishly and dipped her head, hastily making her way out of the store. Frankly, the porcupine was surprised at how much business Tom got. Sure, she'd been expecting a lot, but... wow, he'd gotten famous.<p>

Then again, it probably just seemed that way because last time she was there, she'd just sat in the corner and slept.

Her gaze switched up to the shop as she noticed the last few customers from the bustle finally fading out. Now there were only about two... a short break before the after-work hours hit, she was sure. Sighing heavily, she leaned forward on the counter, resting her paw over her forehead. It was pounding like someone hammering it. Seriously, she hadn't been sick in ages... Perhaps staying out late wasn't the best of ideas, even if fireworks were involved. Even if it _had _been planned with Katrina.

Ah, Katrina... she missed that cat.

"Stop dazing." Tom scampered down the stairs, Timmy and Tommy's laughter from above following. Looking up, she watched him and got an amused look. He had a bit of purple paint on the side of his cheek. No doubt the work of his cut little nephews.

She snorted, her sickness fading from her mind for a moment. For a businessman, Nook could sure be childish at times, if not just because of the animals he surrounded himself with. "I-I wasn't dazing! Just patiently staring at the counter. You have a lovely layout in this store, you know."

"Your sarcasm is dully noted." He side-glanced at her and rubbed his fur with the sleeve of his tuxedo. "Now if you would be so kind as to-" His words fell flat once she began to cough and sneeze. It'd gotten more persistent over the last few hours. Staring at her blankly, then glancing around the half-empty store, he sighed. "Labelle, why don't you take a couple minutes break?"

"But, I already..." She noticed his stern expression and trailed off, nodding slowly. "Okay, okay. Geez, Mr. Grumpy!" She took her usual seat, sniffling. Her nose suddenly felt runny.

Tom continued to watch her for a while longer, then finally sighed, either annoyed or impatient. It was hard to tell. "No, I take that back. Go home for the day, I'm letting you off early. I'll still give you your bells for today when you get your paycheck."

"Huh?" Labelle blinked, clearly confused. Nook, while a kind-hearted sort, was not the type to just let someone walk away from work. Much less, still pay them if they did. "You're serious?"

"Yes. You've done good today, despite the delay in your arrival. And like I said, your health is more important... just make sure you get enough rest so you can come back tomorrow, okay? Otherwise, good first day. Now go." He nonchalantly leaned on the counter, looking anywhere but at her. His wallet was hurting.

"I... uh... well, thank you." Labelle stood up, not eager to trample the opportunity. Not that she didn't want to stay and prove to him he could do it, but she wasn't completely stupid. She felt like she was about to keel over. "Thanks!" she repeated, then smiled brightly, holding back a sneeze. "I'll be here on time tomorrow to make up for it, I promise!"

He finally looked at her, just in time to see her form already retreating, no doubt afraid he'd change his mind. Shaking his head as she waved at him frantically, walking backwards to the doors, he almost laughed when she ran into them. Blushing furiously, the porcupine grumbled something inaudible to him under her breath and turned around, properly making her way out of the store.

He watched until her form disappeared beyond what the glass doors would allow him to see.

Turning to take over her shift at the register, he noticed Tommy and Timmy had gone quiet at the top of the stairs. No doubt, they'd calmed down a little bit. They seemed to do so as the day went on. Crossing his arms as he waited for the afternoon flood of customers, he felt something almost peculiar. It was as if both worry and a sense of relief had mixed together. Without realizing it, the business raccoon smiled.

Good first day, indeed.

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><p><strong>Before any of you try to kill me, I was on vacation. Then I returned home only to attend summer school. So I have a good excuse this time! As far as updates go, first semester of summer school ends next Friday, and that's all I need to go this summer. So for the second half, I'll be really throwing the updates out until school starts back.<strong>

**Trust me, I'm eager to get this going. I think I've created a pairing that I'm going to be obsessing over for a while. Lmao! Shameless fangirlage, awaaaaay!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :3 I enjoyed writing it.**

**-Matron of Madness.**


	3. Intermission: Medicine Call

_I don't own Animal Crossing or it's characters!_

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><p>–<br>Monday  
>11:09 P.M.<br>Apartment Complex  
>–<p>

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><p>Tom wasn't exactly the type to visit other's homes, especially not when it came to his clients, because then he reminded himself that they were real animals that had real lives. Which would be dangerous on the work force, but... Despite that, his conscious had brought him there, with a certain porcupine being sick and all. It was partially his doing, dragging her out to the festival like that.<p>

Standing in front of Labelle's door number, Tom sighed, scratching his cheek lightly. He'd carefully packaged a bit of medication from his store in a tiny bag upon closing time, since they'd had some leftover with allergy seasons ending. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, but now being there made him feel awkward. It was late after all... the only reason he even knew where her home was located was because of her job application. Necessary information and all that.

Shaking off that notion, he raised his paw and knocked confidently on the door. A few seconds later, it opened, a rather dreadful version of the porcupine he'd seen earlier that day standing on the other side. At first she seemed surprised to see him, then embarrassed, then accepting. It was almost fun watching her expressions.

"Tom? What are you doing here?" Labelle rubbed her eyes gently, a clear sign she must have been dozing off. He felt a little bad, but he pushed it aside. He was a generous raccoon, so his gifts were to be accepted whether one liked it or not. Don't let Navigale tell one otherwise.

"I brought leftover medicine from my store. I always keep brand new items in stock, and it would be a shame to put it to waste. Besides, you clearly need it more than I do... you look terrible." He out-stretched his arm, offering her the bag. She glared at him for a second, then sighed in defeat and took it.

"Thanks, that's exactly what a girl wants to hear." She may have felt slightly insulted, but he still couldn't help holding back a laugh. Even when she was serious, it was hard to take her... well, seriously.

"That is the price you pay for speaking with me. Pleasant insults aside, are you feeling any better from earlier?" He paused, thought that over, and retreated into a nervous gesture of straightening his tie. "Err, I mean... obviously not. I'll rephrase that to 'I hope you start feeling better'." He nodded, more pleased with how that sounded. Labelle continued to stare at him like K.K. Rider himself had landed on her porch. She then smiled brightly, at least managing to get some of her spunk back.

"Well, thank you! I'm sure I will, with the help of this medicine! I need to get up bright and early for work tomorrow, right? Promised I wouldn't be late." At this, the raccoon got a skeptical look. He had hung around her enough the last few weeks to know she wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic -able sister when it came to working. She caught his confused look, causing her to dull down to an amused one herself. "I really need the money! I wasn't lying. I'll try suuuuper hard not to fall asleep or anything. Who knows, maybe I'll learn something by time I get back to Gracie's!"

Well, she knew that much was a bluff, and she almost wished Katrina or Lyle were there to call her out on it. She was capable of learning her lessons, but never retaining them. Tom realized that, but said nothing. Just smiled.

"Very well, then. I'll be there to make sure you're on time. But, do me a favor, Labelle... if you really don't feel very good in the morning, still, just don't come." He paused for a second, then crossed his arms. "I'll understand. Tommy and Timmy can take your shift for you, and the next day you come in, you can just handle your shift and theirs to make up for it. I'd rather have you work to death when your well than work little when your ill."

With that, the calm raccoon turned away, raising his hand to wave at her as he began down the apartment halls again. "Goodnight, Labelle."

The porcupine stared at his back for a moment, then nodded. "Night, Tom!" He heard her retreat into her room, already in the process of opening the medicine bag while doing so. It wasn't until he got to the iron steps leading back outside that he really realized what he'd just done. He sighed heavily. Tommy and Timmy wouldn't be happy if she decided not to show up, and he'd have to put up with it. But aside from that, now Labelle's persona suddenly became less of 'just a worker' and more of 'an actual living creature'.

Hence why he rarely visited others – even for deliveries to his customers. Perhaps he considered her a friend, which made her different. He pondered this as he walked back to the bus stops, both annoyed and interested in his small revelation.

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><p><strong>This was a very short update to let you know I'm not dead, neither is this story (consider sthis an intermission or something). Allow me to explain:<strong>

**I know I mentioned this on one of my stories, but I don't know if it was one of the AC ones I did. My sister is getting married soon (of COURSE, she was proposed to right after summer school let out... fml), and that explains my absence. I have been working my end off trying to help get everything together. Well, the wedding is this weekend (HALLELUJAH!), so I finally had a moment to breathe before realizing... well, heck. I haven't updated anything in a while.**

**I'm going to get myself back in gear after my sister is married and shipped off to Ireland for her honeymoon. XD I already have the first part of two chapters written (yeah, I do things weird), so I'm hoping to have a triple update perhaps either Monday or Tuesday, depending on how tired I am after being a bridesmaid and putting up with people for the entire weekend, lol.**

**Cross your fingers with me? I need a break, man. :,D**

**-Matron of Madness**

**p.s. I'm really, really, really sorry about how short this is. It didn't fit in with my next chapter, I wanted it in the story somewhere, and I wanted to let you all know I was still active. Bear with me, I'll be back to longer chapters with the next.**


	4. Sick Day

_I don't own Animal Crossing or it's characters!_

* * *

><p>–<br>Tuesday  
>Morning Hours<br>Karnia  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>–<p>

It was true that Tom had suspected the previous chat with Labelle the night before would bear little result when it came to her making any progress as a worker. He'd more-or-less given her the free pass to miss work and skip if she ever felt sick, though it completely eluded his mind on why this had been brought up in the first place. As Navi, local human resident of the town (and quite possibly the only human within miles, mind you), had learned – he was very diligent, and tended to thrust that upon others whether it was within their liking or not. So it did not bode over well, and continuously bothered him, of what had transpired.

His brain shushed out the thoughts by saying it had been a momentary lapse of sanity, but his common sense knew that perhaps he was just worried about his newly realized 'friend'. The word made the greedy raccoon's fur crawl – not because he was opposed to friends (he could be very friendly even when he did not truly want to be), but because he was letting it get in the way of his business.

So with all those thoughts swimming in his mind, not to mention how he was going to break it to his nephews, one could imagine the tycoon's surprise when a cheery porcupine walked through the door, not exactly on time, but not as late as she could have been. Aside from a small sneeze here and there, all seemed to be going quite well, also.

It wasn't until she'd settled in at the register that her boss came to approach her. "Feeling better?" He questioned, convincing himself he was asking for the mere purpose of making sure his costumers did not get angry for contracting any illness while in his shop.

Labelle smiled in response. "Very! That medicine you have stocked here works wonders! Next time Lyle passes on one of his silly flus in the winter, I need to remember to come here for the remedy. I still didn't make it on time, though, did I?" She laughed good-naturedly, as Nook nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"I see. That is good to hear... I'll let you off the hook this time because you were sick, but make sure you are here before opening next time!" He excused himself and went back to taking care of his costumers. Next time he stole a glance at the cash register, it seemed his nephews had taken it upon themselves to take a short break with his newest employee. He sighed and considered scolding them, but since the store was barely open and not that busy, he let it slide.

He took his attention to the front door when the bell went off, sending in a breeze from the slightly-chilly air outside, despite it being in the warm time of year. The before mentioned human was strolling in with her hair and dress completely drenched, as if she'd taken a dive into the fountain. The trio at the register didn't notice her.

"Oh, Navi. Welcome, welcome! I hope you find my wares to your liking." Nook put on a charming smile, especially for one of his most returning costumers. The girl adjusted her glasses and looked up at him, smiling.

"Hiya, Mister Nook! I'm on my daily stationary run." Navi pushed some of the blue hair out of her face that had fallen from her bun, presumably after she'd gotten attacked by a whale of some sort, given Tom's analysis. He wanted to ask, but wasn't quite sure how to. She seemed to get it, though. "I, um . . . fell in the fountain on my way here." She paused to push her index fingers together, clearing her throat.

Navi was well-known by a lot of the animals around, not only for being the one human amongst them, but also because if there was something around to mess up in some way, shape or form – she found that way. A smart girl, but also a clumsy one.

Labelle looked up from the two little raccoons as they scampered back upstairs and noticed the human girl. "Navi!" Tom shook his head and went over to the counter to grab her usual stationary picks, catching little traces of their voices as the human went over to talk to the cashier. He wasn't exactly sure how they knew one-another, though he did recall seeing them talk once or twice when Katrina had been in town.

He walked up and handed the paper over. "Will that be all?" he asked eagerly, cocking his head to the side curiously.

"Yup, yup! Thank you!" Navi smiled brightly and handed a small pouch of bells to Labelle. "I'd love to stay and talk, but Cube is going to show me around the museum. We've been working really hard to fill it up! Plus, their coffee is great..." She went off into lalaland for a while, then came back down and waved, running out before they could even give her a farewell.

"She's energetic," Labelle chimed, bobbing her head in a nod.

"Not unlike someone else in this room." Nook took a small jab at her since the store no longer needed attention, an amused smile on his lips. "But at least she's bearable."

"Heey! What is that supposed to mean?" She poked her bottom lip out slightly, but obviously had to hold back some kind of laugh. It beat having Gracie continuously boss her around when she was at the store. The porcupine zoned out for a minute, thinking about that. Eventually, the clothing store would be open again. She wondered how it would look – if it would be any different. It'd be weird not having work-a-holic, greedy Mr. Raccoon around. Still her first week on the job and she was already used to him pushing for perfection.

"Hello?" She came back to see Tom waving his hand in front of her face, a concerned look in his eyes, as if he was afraid she'd just lost her mind all of a sudden. When he saw concentration come back to her face, he shook his head. "Hopeless," he concluded, smiling. She gasped and crossed her arms, poutingly going back to staring at the cash register, though all in good humor.

Nook couldn't hold back a small chuckle and waved her on to continue her work, as more costumers came into his store.

* * *

><p>–<p>

"Did he just..." Tommy stood at the bottom of the stairs with his head poking out to watch the two before them. They'd been neglecting their job upstairs for quite some time now, and his brother seemed a bit worried, but finished the sentence for him anyways.

"Laugh? Make a joke?" Timmy turned his head up to see his brother, who was hovering over him via one stair above. Being the object of most their uncle's grief when if came to his OCD for perfection (at least they liked to think so), it was rare for either of them to see a more happy, care-free side of the raccoon, even when others swore to them it existed.

"Yes!" Tommy nodded matter-of-factly, then grabbed his brother's arm and gently pulled him up the stairs as the older raccoon resumed his work. Once both of them were safely out of ear – and eye – shot, they stared at one-another in awe. "I think we should ask..."

"...if Labelle has a secret weapon!" They both chimed simultaneously, clasping their paws together. A happy Tom Nook meant a less serious environment. Maybe they'd even get to play on his furniture stock! As they heard footsteps on the stairs, however, they snapped into business mode, knowing full well their play time would be a little ways off.

Both were beaming brightly, though.

* * *

><p>–<br>Afternoon Hours  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>–<p>

"Looks like the rush is ending." Nook glanced around the room, sighing. 'The rush' usually lasted a few hours, though it was mostly returning visitors that lived in Karnia. Why they all came at the same time was beyond him, but even he was tired. He wouldn't be surprised to find the twins sleeping on the job upstairs.

He glanced over at Labelle, who had slung her upper body miserably over the counter. "You can't be tired yet! Don't you usually have this much of a rush at Gracie's?"

"Yeah..." The porcupine lifted herself up and smiled warily, then sneezed and turned towards the cash register, lazily pressing buttons on them. "Sorry, I think I'm just tired. I'll get it together!" She nodded, determined.

Nook frowned.

She was lit up and bright as usual, something that he was unwillingly glad to see every day, but something about her was different. He didn't know whether to be upset because she wouldn't come out right and say what was bothering her, or because he was able to notice so easily. "Labelle..." The soft tone of which he spoke her name seemed to surprise her, because she looked over at him with wide, curious owl eyes.

Now that he looked beyond the light fur of hers, her cheeks seemed a bit flushed. He sighed heavily and walked over to his wares. Stopping at one of the display counters, he shuffled through some things before pulling up another bag of medicine. He walked over to her and placed it in front of her on the counter.

"Sometimes it takes more than one application. You should have just said you weren't feeling well! At this rate, you'll never be able to work properly. Young people these days..."

Labelle blinked at him a few times, then shook her head. "I-I'm almost the same age as you! It's not like we're ancient. And, I just... well... I guess I'm just used to pulling through work like this. Gracie was a very demanding animal!" She smiled light-heartedly, then reached out to take the medicine bag. "Thanks, Nook. I'll pay you back, I swear!"

"Don't even think about it. Just take it as a gift." He felt his ear twitch when he said that, as if he could picture the bells flying out of his wallet. The thought was positively terrible, but he had no desire to rebuke his offer. "However, if you need one tomorrow, plan on paying for it! I have to keep you diligent if you're going to continue working here for the next few weeks!"

"Yessir!" Labelle saluted him, then opened the bag to take the contents.

Nook watched her to make sure she actually took the medicine (though he wasn't sure why he was worried she wouldn't), and then made his way over to the center of the room, despite there being no costumers at the moment. He thumbed at a bell he held between his claws, twitching his ear.

He refused to get used to the thought of someone like her working in his store.

* * *

><p>–<br>Night Hours.  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>–<p>

Tommy and Timmy, having long gone home, had left the place in quite a mess upstairs. Tom sighed exasperatedly as he went over the millionth thing he needed to scold them for in the morning – not that it was anything too terrible, other than a few bits of furniture obviously having been tampered with – but still.

He heard Labelle grabbing the remains of whatever lunch she'd brought that day behind him as he put up what was left on his counters. He set something aside as he did so, watching her from the corner of his eye. Once he realized she was about to head out, he grabbed the small bag and walked over to her, pushing it into her paws gently.

"Oh?" She looked down and saw a medicine bag resting in her paws, then scrunched her nose lightly. "Do I have to pay for this one?"

"I changed my mind. Take that one tomorrow morning so that I know for sure you'll be okay. Then, if you need another one, I'll make you pay for _that one _on your own. And don't slack off any with being on time anymore!"

The porcupine studied the business tycoon's expression for a moment, and something between genuine concern and little traces of regret to let something go without money seemed to be hidden in his eyes. She smiled. "Thank you so much! I really, really appreciate it! I'll step up my game, I promise!" He nodded, satisfied with her answer.

He could sacrifice a couple bells in favor of getting her to be a better business animal, he supposed. Nook shooed her off, smiling. "I'll hold you to that, so be ready. I was practically tricked into hiring you, so don't disappoint me." He snickered good-naturedly, and this time, she didn't pout.

"Yeah, yeah, I know! Maybe some of Lyle's work ethic can rub off on me when I visit him next time." She paused as he held his tongue on that comment. Tom kept his amused smiled and turned to continue working with putting a few more supplies up. "Good night."

"Have a nice night, as well." Nook glanced behind him, and their gazes met for a moment before he went back to cleaning up.

For a brief moment, he swore he could feel her gaze lingering on him before the doors to his shop closed behind her. Unwillingly, he found himself looking up to see her disappear towards the bus station.

* * *

><p><strong>I have no excuse for this length of time. Please don't kill me. D:<br>****I think it's time we all accepted I'm the worst updater ever. But I really did not anticipate I would procrastinate for this long. I'm really sorry.**

**Hope some of my readers are still around. ;w;  
><strong>**If you are, I thank you so much for your patience.**

**But, on the bright side... uh... Lyle comes back in the next chapter? xD  
><strong>**-hides-**

**-Matron of Madness**

**p.s. I'm not entirely proud of this chapter, but at least it's something. Boo.**


	5. Piecing Together

_I don't own Animal Crossing or its characters!_

* * *

><p>–<br>Wednesday  
>Morning Hours<br>Karnia  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>"Well, you're getting better." Tom glanced at the door as a panting porcupine scrambled in, holding her sides to indicate she'd run from the bus stop to his store. "At least you're only ten minutes late this time." He shook his head. Normally, he would scold an employee further, as the local human girl had learned rather quickly, but he found himself still ever sympathetic to the female that had been ill before that very morning. She shot him a look that indicated she was viable to attack him if he actually teased her about it, which caused him to get a smug smile on his face. Though, not an all-together unkind one.<p>

"I will get the hang of this! Why is your store so far from where I live? Guh..." Labelle rushed her way over to the cash register, where she began to punch buttons left and right to make sure everything was in order for her job of ringing people up. He shook his head.

"It's the same distance that Carniven City is, though. So it is obviously not the distance that is an issue. And time is bells!" He snorted at her deflated look, watching as she dropped her head onto the counter. "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself. Again." Last thing he needed was for more medication inventory to be blown out the window because she brought her own headache back. She, of course, responded by sulking as she begrudgingly went right to work, but oddly, he found her reactions a little endearing.

Shrugging it off, he went to the side to thumb through a few boxes he had lying around. They'd gotten shipped in that morning with new stock inventory for him to sell. Seeing that most of the customers were still browsing, he was unsurprised when he heard her voice speak out to him, "I thought I'd thank you again. For you're help the last few days. And... you know, for not firing me." He looked up as she laughed nervously, his eyes studying her careless expression.

He felt himself blush, being thanked in front of the fews others around. He cleared his throat, managing to keep himself in a professional stance. "Yes, well, don't get to used to it. Inventory is every bit of bells that time is! I can't keep giving you bags of medicine and hoping to be compensated for it. Especially with your work ethic..." He sighed exasperatedly as she puffed her cheeks out, but a certain tone to his voice must've let her know he didn't really mean his comment.

"You would never admit it, but you are a good person, boss!" She nodded fervently, crossing her arms over her chest before she was forced to turn and pay attention to a customer waiting for her.

"I'm just keeping my employees in top shape," he grumbled, but knew it was useless. Ignoring his surely burning cheeks, he snatched up a pile of parchment from the boxes and spread them out with the others, sorting them by decoration. He always ran out of stock rather quickly. People in these towns were nuts about writing silly letters to people who lived a couple steps away from them. Or next door.

His eye caught the sight of a box he'd set off to the side. "Oh!" He blinked and wandered over to it, carefully ripping the tape on top so he could get to the contents. Inside, a classy feminine suit lay folded together with the order form laid on top. Nodding slowly, he picked the box up and waited until the customer at the counter was done before approaching Labelle. He set it on the counter and motioned her over. When she complied, he pushed it towards her. "Here's your uniform while you work here. You may only be a temporary hire, but you have to look the part during your stay here. I can't have customers thinking this place is a shabby store."

Labelle stared down into the box curiously, but glared daggers at him when he spoke. He recoiled and chuckled quietly, waving his arms in front of him defensively.

"I'm joking! Don't hit me, I bruise easily." She rolled her eyes at him before taking the suit out to examine it.

"Ooh, I like it. I've seen things like this at Gracie's a lot. Suits can be really flattering, despite what gender is wearing it, yes?" She smiled brightly, seemingly pleased. He sighed in relief. After the last time he'd tried to give a uniform to an employee – his nephews aside – he was more than hoping there wouldn't be a repeat. He partially blamed Navigale for that incident.

"Just make sure you show up in it Friday, since that will be your next day in the shop. I'm closing the shop tomorrow so a few painters can come by and re-spruce the place up." He looked at the walls. Really, they still looked fine, but he had become a bit of a perfectionist as his store grew in size and popularity. She nodded slowly in understanding.

"Got it! And I'll be on time, too!"

"I doubt it."

"Hey!" Labelle stuck her tongue out at him, then folded the uniform back into the box. Once she moved it under the counter, she looked back up at him, no doubt confused as to why he hadn't scurried off to his customers once more. Usually he was all over his job. "Boss?"

"..." He studied her for a moment before turning his gaze to the side, sighing. "Are you really feeling better?" Her eyes widened at his question, he noticed, but soon a faint smile formed on her lips.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for your help. Really."

"Then I suppose it was worth sacrificing a few bells." Tom returned her smile before scurrying away as per usual. He didn't stick around downstairs, however, and headed upstairs instead. He had to make sure to check on the little twerps every now and again to make sure they were earning their own pay – they had a habit of hanging off of furniture even when customers were around.

* * *

><p>–<br>Carniven City  
>Evening Hours<br>–

* * *

><p>"Haa... I wonder if leaving the store in Labelle's care for the rest of the day was such a wonderful idea." Nook stepped off the bus, into the city square, a pensive look on his face. After realizing he had a few errands he had neglected in his own distracted schedule, he'd left the store in the hands of Labelle. Naturally, even with her constant reassurance as he walked out the door, he found it hard to believe it could end well. Pictures of the place burning down – and even worse, the potential bells in it – made him jumpy every now and again, but he knew deep down she wasn't that incompetent. She'd worked for Gracie for a rather long time now and nothing wrong ever happened there. Well, that was made public, anyways.<p>

He stole a glance to his right at the old fortune telling building, where a few construction workers were helping a new shop owner move her stuff in, under the watchful eyes of Resetti. The creepily watchful eyes, that is.

It somehow felt strange without Katrina around, more-so because he missed her fortunes pertaining to bells, but also for another reason. She always did have a way of livening up the square, even if he preferred not to be directly involved in such things. He made his way up to the fountain and took a seat on it, pulling out a list from his tuxedo's pocket. Mulling over some of the items he'd decided to pick up at the auction house, he didn't notice as an older animal approached his side, staring at him intently.

"You don't do many exciting things, do you? Bang."

Tom glanced up from the parchment and blinked, then sighed. "Lyle." While it wasn't necessarily an annoyance talking to the male, it was always somehow a tiring one. Perhaps on the grounds he didn't know why he was being approached. "My life is always filled with excitement, thank you kindly. Something I can help you with?"

"Ah, nothing in particular. Bang. Just found myself curious if Labelle is doing alright. I don't see her around much anymore while the renovations are going on at Gracie Grace. It's boring. Bang."

He should have figured. With Labelle at a temporary job in another town and Katrina off traveling with her fortune talents, Lyle was no doubt bored to death in the city. Tom almost sympathized with him when he realized that Dr. Shrunk was probably the face he saw most in the day. He was torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to shudder.

"She was sick recently, but it seems she's recovered. I'll have to tell her to come visit you some time. She certainly has a way of bringing excitement everywhere she goes. Whether you want it or not." He half laughed, half snorted, shaking his head. Lyle only nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Those were the good old days. Bang."

"...It hasn't been that long." Tom shook his head. "And she'll be back soon. In the meantime, you could always go visit the theatre."

Lyle stared at him as if he were the crazy one, but then got an interested look. "Now that you mention it... Bang." Ah, he took him seriously. Tom didn't feel like raining on his parade, so he just let it go and nodded his agreement. Of course, it also crossed his mind that Katrina and Labelle both would potentially kill him if Dr. Shrunk became a part of their inner friend circle because of his suggestion.

He laughed nervously to himself at that thought. "How is the renovation going?" He glanced behind him to look at GracieGrace, which was in shambles inside the windows. She was really having that place practically torn down and rebuilt. Only Gracie could get permission to do something like that to a public building.

"Slowly. Bang." Lyle shook his head, then walked to stand directly in front of him. He seemed to switch into career mode all of a sudden. "You know, I bet you have an interesting home. Bang. How would you like to be the next featured house-"

"O-oh, look at the time..." Tom got up and scrambled away, waving over his head. "We'll have to discuss all the possibilities some other time!"

"Lyle is beginning to think your house is a myth!"

* * *

><p>–<br>Nookington's  
>Night Hours<br>–

* * *

><p>Tom saw Labelle's attention snap to the door as he walked inside, a couple of bags in his hands that held the products of his errands. The shop was empty, seeing as it was almost closing time, and the twins had no doubt already been picked up by their mother. As he set down the bags, he felt a little sorry that she must've been there by herself for quite some time, but shook it off.<p>

She watched him with an interested look. "Did you get everything you needed?"

"Most of it. I saw GracieGrace while I was in the square. That place looks like a stampede ran through the inside of the building." He smiled as she burst into a fit of laughter at his comparison, knowing it was probably a funny image for someone who had worked in such a neat place for so long. "I also ran into your friend, Lyle. He seemed bored."

"Aww, really?" She frowned at this news, her nose scrunching contemplatively. "I'll have to visit him soon, then! Though, without Katrina, I think it'll be a little weird with only two of us. You think Redd will be willing to fill in for her?"

"I hear Dr. Shrunk is in the market for a group of childlike friends." He could practically feel her suspicious glare, and almost laughed, but caught himself. He put his new merchandise in the back before coming out once more. "You can go ahead and close up. I'm going to head out as well, anyways. Since no one is here, I think it's safe to call it a day."

"You? Closing the shop early? Of all the..." Labelle trailed off at his disapproving look, raising her paw to snicker behind it. He shook his head at her and went over to the counter to look through the cash register. She moved out of his way, leaning down to pick up the uniform he'd given her. She admired it for a while longer before he spoke up again.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Labelle snapped her attention to him immediately, then quickly shook her head. "No!" He stared at her, surprised by such an eager answer. She blushed and cleared her throat, turning to look at her box like it suddenly became the most interesting thing in that world. "I mean... Nope."

"Okay then. Meet me in the city square around noon, okay?" He closed up the cash register and moved towards the door to get the key.

"H-hey! That's not asking! You can't just _tell_ me to be somewhere." Her ear twitched in agitation, but she dropped her annoyed stance when he turned to look at her. He smiled at her.

"Do you wish to decline my company?"

He watched conflicting emotions pass by her features continuously for a moment, before she nodded slowly. "Uh... no – no I wasn't. I'll be there."

"Then we have no issue, yes yes?" Tom nodded decisively, then motioned for her to come to the door. She complied and weaved her way around the counter, box in hand. Once she stepped out, he followed locking the door behind them. He walked with her in silence until they got to the bus stop, where he paused to wave at her. "Have a nice night."

"You too!" She energetically rose her paw in the air to wave back at him, a bright smile spread across her face. Yes, that was the Labelle he remembered passing out in his store on occasion; not sick and put out, but energetic and happy. There were things that annoyed him about her, no doubt, but he found himself relieved to see her back in her old spirits.

It wasn't until he was walking back home that he realized he had, indeed, given up his free day to spend with a porcupine he had been seeing practically every day for who knows how long now. He also realized that... he didn't particularly mind. "Well, isn't that peculiar." He began to fit together the pieces. It wasn't that he particularly felt sorry for her, needing the money and temporarily out of the job. It wasn't that he generally enjoyed taking needy people and giving them a job at his store, despite how often it happened. It wasn't even that he intended to get his bell's worth from her presence at and outside of his shop. It was just simply that he enjoyed Labelle's company.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>1} Omfg what is this an update I don't even-<strong>**

**Usually summer is when I get tons of updates in, but I'm heading into an important school year with tons of summer homework due to AP classes. u.u; Thus the lack of . . . _anything_ this year. This isn't the only story suffering, I assure you. I'm not playing favorites. ;w;**

**2} Anywho, I'm not expecting this story to be as long as HCB. In fact, I'm hoping to wrap it up soon. Before school starts back, that is. My goal is around 10 chapters, so I'm going to try to get the next five in with regular updates these next few weeks. And, yes, these chapters will be longer than the previous ones because I actually have time to type, so it'll just be like a shorter story w/ longer chapters as opposed to a longer story w/ short chapters. LET'S DO THIS.**

**3} Anyways. ;D  
><strong>**Yes, this story is more a bunch of shameless fluff than anything else. So sue me. BI I didn't really like this chapter much and considered not putting it up because {admittedly} it was unfinished, but I figured this story deserved SOME kind of update. ;w; I'll just make up for it by making these next chapters nice, long, and full of awesome. Wooo!  
><strong>

**4} I hope everyone is enjoying my interpretation of Tom Nook so far. I kind of always pictured him as greedy, but also really sophisticated and a softie on the inside. Not like oblivious Miss Katrina. :P I hope I'm getting that across. D: /still nervous about characterization with these peeps;**

**- Matron of Madness.**

**P.S. Nookington's is the last store upgrade, right? xD I can *never* remember.**


	6. Jellyfish Stars

_I don't own Animal Crossing, or its characters!_

* * *

><p>–<br>Thursday  
>Morning Hours<br>Carniven City  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>Labelle stepped off the bus and made her way to the city square, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Even on her day off, she'd managed to drag herself out of bed long enough to go see Lyle before her meeting with Tom Nook. She'd taken it to heart when he mentioned the poor thing being bored, which she liked to believe was his way of saying he was lonely, but one never knows with the oldie. She scampered past a few of the city-goers and went into the Happy Room Academy Headquarters, busting through the doors energetically. "Lyyyyyle! Did you miss me?" She smiled brightly, watching as he jumped up from a chair, apparently having fallen asleep in it.<p>

"Going to give ole Lyle a heart attack! Bang!" He rubbed his head as he sat up, glaring at her from behind his glasses, but his stern look on served to make her giggle. He sighed. "Well, Lyle knew. He knew quiet wouldn't last forever. Looking forward to you being back. Bang."

Labelle stuck her tongue out at him and took a seat as he momentarily disappeared into the back before returning with a letter in his hand. "Good timing. Bang. Letter came to Gracie's yesterday. Addressed to you. Ole Lyle held it." He handed it over to her and sat beside her, watching as she carefully tore the paper. She examined the mystical purple pattern on it and giggle-snorted.

"Oooh, it's from Katrina!"

"Fortune teller still kicking. Good. Read. Bang." He leaned into her shoulder to get a better look at it as she held it out for both of them to see. It was a friendly letter, full of Katrina going on about how annoying some villagers could be, how she'd dropped her crystal ball into the river and had to make someone named Hopper, much to the penguin's dismay, get in and fish it out for her. She also mentioned how weird it was to be one of the few traveling shopkeepers left, though apparently Gracie had been stopping in a few towns while her shop remodeled. Not that she was good company, which made Labelle laugh, knowing all too well.

"Goodness! I almost wish I could have gone with her. She must be having fun." She whined, once again reminded how much she missed her friend. Sure, she could go talk about girly stuff with Harriet, but she was always so willing to do so. She wouldn't offer the same obliviously condescending advice that Katrina would. Silly cat didn't even realize it when she was ripping on things.

Lyle pat her shoulder. "Blasphemy! Our shops are inside. Nice. She's stuck in a tent. In danger of weather. Horrid. Bang. We got better end of deal. She'll be back when she gets nice and old, like Lyle." He wagged his finger at her, and she shook her head in response.

"Excuse me?" Lyle turned to look at a nearby customer that had entered. "Hey! You blind? Lyle is busy here. Information packets on the desk. Just grab one, bang!" He paused and adjusted his glasses. "Oh, it's you."

Labelle followed his gaze to be met with the sight of a fox, whom stood shaking his head at them. "Now, now, it's a wonder that this place rarely has any visitors with service like that!"

"Says the fox that once slammed the door in his customers' faces if they didn't know the password to get into his shop!" Labelle shook her head at him, huffing.

"It was a tent flap, there's a difference. Hardly all that violent." He smirked at her, then walked over and snatched the letter from her hand. She looked mildly offended and turned her head to the side, crossing her arms. She muttered something incoherent under her breath, but he was sure it was insulting. "I see our darling fortune teller hasn't shed her colorful nature, at least."

Lyle shook his head. "Better that way. Bang. Katrina wouldn't be herself if she weren't telling a fortune with one hand and flailing with the other. Bang." Labelle twitched her ear, an exasperated look on her face. Now she remembered the other reason she missed her; now she was technically the clumsiest one around the town. What were her chances of dragging her back to the city?

Redd noticed her expression. "Hey, we could always go find her and force her back into the city. We could run the new shopkeeper moving in right back out."

"Don't be crazy now. Bang."

"You forget who I am, Lyle!" Redd laughed heartily, that ever present cockiness to it. Somehow he always sounded sinister whenever he did or said something. What Katrina saw in him, Labelle would never be able to figure out. Opposites attract? She sighed heavily.

"Don't be a mean fox! Bad, bad!" Labelle flailed her arms in front of his face as if to make a point, then crossed her legs, leaning back. "What are you doing in here anyways? I'm trying to visit friends and... stuff."

"You find my presence a bother? I'm hurt!" Redd mocked a pout, then motioned towards Lyle. "I'm interested in some new insurance policies for my store, if you really want to know. Although it looks as if I have interrupted something."

"No, no, I was leaving soon anyways." Labelle waved her hand in dismissal, standing up. She turned to give Lyle a pointed look. "But I will be back! I need some good ole Lyle advice." The older animal looked between them and sighed, standing up to get his insurance book.

"Is there any other kind?"

Redd shook his head. "Well, there's always Kapp'n advice. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Labelle visibly shuddered. She liked Kapp'n, really, he was rather fun to talk to. But sometimes she felt the same kind of exasperation around him that she felt whenever she spoke to Dr. Shrunk, whom was already quite an odd experience on his own. "Oh, hey, before I run out." She stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Redd, tilting her head. "Has Katrina been writing you too? I mean, since you violated my privacy and read my letter without asking and all..."

Lyle snorted from where he was picking up the leather-bound insurance book, whereas Redd just smirked. "Of course she is. I just got one recently as well, actually. If you want to have a look at it." He pulled it out of his pocket and waved it around in the air. "You'll have to stop by my store and buy something!" Labelle fumed at him angrily, contemplating if Katrina could really blame her if she happened to accidentally poke him with her quills. A friend he may be, but he was certainly an annoying one.

"Ugh, fine... but your paintings better be legit! Goodness!" She stormed over and snatched the letter from him.

* * *

><p>–<br>Meanwhile...  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>"Used to be rare, seein' you traversin' away from Karnia. Now ye seem to be all over the place!" Kapp'n glanced in the rear-view mirror at Nook. The raccoon looked up from messing with the sleeve of his jacket, then shook his head. "Ye sure do dress fancy just for runnin' to the city!"<p>

Tom shrugged, not entirely sure about that. He'd just gotten used to wearing such clothing since Nookington's opened, and so that was how he dressed on a regular basis. Then again, Kapp'n wasn't exactly one to trust when he commented on whether or not something was natural. So long as he made it to the city in one piece, however, who was he to question the bus driver?

"Maybe, but it's starting to get cold outside anyways so it's not much of a bother." The silence from the front seat was probably some way of telling him that he was crazy, because it still felt rather hot to most people. Being sensitive to the weather, perhaps it was just him that noticed the changes so early. Something that had worn of after so long of being stuck in the little Nook's Cranny shack.

"Mr. Nook?" The raccoon blinked and turned to his side, seeing a familiar clump of blue hair tied up on a young human's head. She was leaning down attempting to get something off the floor before she sat up, a long ribbon in her hands. She turned to look at him and smiled nervously, her mint glasses tilted to an odd angle. "Thought I heard you! At least this explains why your shop was closed today... while I needed to buy some medicine, too." She sighed. "Vladimir is going to kill me."

"Navigale!" The business raccoon smiled brightly at the sight of his ex-employee and current neighbor. He had seen considerably less of her in town, aside from when she needed to buy things. Most likely because it seemed all the animals that lived in Karnia always required her help in some way or another. "Yes, well, it's currently being repainted. I could have kept it open, but then there would be headaches from paint fumes, which would mean angry customers, which in turn would mean less bells gained on my end."

He shrugged, a strangely adult pout on his face that must've made the human laugh. "Heeeey, everyone needs a break from taking people's money every now and again. Even you! No, especially you. Or maybe more-so Tommy and Timmy... those poor child laborers..." She mocked a sympathetic face while he exasperatedly hung his head.

"Navigale! Me darlin'! I didn't know ye was on the bus!" Kapp'n glanced in his mirror again, shooting a look at Tom before turning back to the road. "Out of ye old town ye stumblin', lass? It'll always be a pleasure havin' ye on board."

"You haven't changed much since you were driving the cab, you know that?" Navigale smiled at him in a friendly manner, and Tom was amazed at that fact alone. Usually most people avoided conversation with the lonesome driver; not because they disliked him, but because he was just strange. Then again, this was Navi he was thinking about, and she would probably march straight up to Dr. Shrunk and ask him out for coffee without ever realizing he was a strange axolotl.

"Aye, that be the truth, lass." Kapp'n nodded, smiling strangely as he watched the road. Realizing one of his friends were on the bus, he seemed to pay close attention to not being too hectic lest he end up harming her in any way. Blasted sailor.

"You knew him before he worked here?" Tom blinked at her, and she shrugged sheepishly.

"Karnia is the second town I've lived in on my own. That why I got my bills paid off so quickly! I've had practice."

Tom shook his head, unaware to another visitor approaching from behind. As soon as Navigale turned back towards him, they both looked up to see a young blue-and-white cat standing there, wide-eyed and eager to see the human. "Ooh, it's you!" He took a seat behind nook and leaned forward on his elbows to look at the smiling girl.

"Rover! I didn't notice you were on this bus ride too!"

The raccoon found himself laughing. "Navigale, is there anybody you _haven't _met in this world?"

She straightened her posture and raised an eyebrow, a proud smile spreading on her lips. "Unlikely!" Rover snickered behind his paws, ducking his head down so that he could avoid being too loud. "Rover here was on the bus when I first moved into Karnia, actually." She raised her finger and pointed at him. "I guess you could say he was my welcoming party! Even though he technically didn't live there..." She shrugged, leaning back against the window to pull her legs up onto the bench. The cat turned towards Tom and nodded.

"Hi there! You from Karnia too?"

"Ah, yes, I run a shop there. Pleasure to meet you." Tom smiled. He always found himself enjoying social situations, even though he liked it better when it involved potential profit. Navigale must've noticed that look on his face because he heard her snort, but when he turned to glare at her, she was staring at the ceiling whistling innocently.

Before he could get another word in, the energetic girl jumped up from her seat. "Oh my gosh! Rover, did you come here with Blanca?" The cat blinked at her and nodded before she took off running into the back of the bus, where Tom noticed Kapp'n slowed down specifically so she wouldn't get hurt. She took a seat next to a peculiar cat that had no face, bringing a marker out from the pocket in her dress.

Rover shook his head beside him, then broke out into laughter. "Navi, Navi! Give her a handlebar mustache!" He got up and followed, practically radiating some kind of flowery aurora as he did so. The white cat said something angrily that Tom couldn't process, and Rover recoiled, still smiling. "I-I was just kidding, I promise!"

Tom pressed his paw against his face, listening to Kapp'n break into laughter in front of him. "Ye wouldn't get a more entertainin' ride on any bus but mine, ye hear!"

* * *

><p>–<p>

Labelle stopped in front of GracieGrace to look through the windows, her eyes gleaming at the familiar layout, even as it was being rebuilt. Nook was right, the place looked like a T-Rex had stormed through in an angry rampage, but it was at least coming together. They were putting new tiles down on the floor, along with new wallpaper for the walls. Gracie certainly was going all out, and she vaguely wondered how she could afford until she remembered that the darn lady had ten times the amount of money anyone else in this square had.

She shook her head, sighing. "Ahh, it'll be good to be back. I miss my daily dose of fashion." She nodded matter-of-factly, then turned her head to see Kicks sitting lazily on the staircase off to the side, fanning himself against the heat. All the black on him probably didn't help. When he noticed her gaze, he turned and waved at her, smiling brightly.

"Miss Labelle! Hewo!" She giggled at his accent tick, realizing she hadn't conversed with anyone in the city for quite some time – not just Lyle. She pranced over to him and swiped her paws together to remove any of the dust from leaning on GracieGrace.

"Hi there, Kicks! Slow morning?"

"Aw, kind of. I don't mind much though, I've had a busy past few days. Nice to have a break." He reached up and adjusted his hat. "You need a shoe-shinin' by any chance?"

"Hmm..." She looked down at her black heels, then nodded. "Yeah, sure. It'll do them so good." She moved to sit up on the steps as he hopped down, pulling his cloth out and getting a bit of shiner on it. She already regretted dressing up – she'd been taking liberty with her clothing since Gracie wasn't always at her back, but coming to the city in simple clothes still hadn't registered as something she was temporarily allowed to do. Her sisters, who she had guiltily neglected visiting even with her time in Karnia, always made fun of her nervous habit to always look glamorous, as if she would get fired if she didn't.

"Awright, you want to go by style or color?" He glanced up at her expectantly, and she tilted her head. If it was possible for there to ever be a shoe magician, Kicks would be the first one ever.

"Um, um... style?" He nodded at her answer and started shining her shoes. As he did so, he took to chatting companionably.

"What are you in town for today, Miss Able?"

"L-Labelle is fine, you know. You don't always have to be so proper." She laughed, half amused he was still like that even though he'd known everyone in the city for quite some time now. It was in his gentlemanly nature, she supposed. "Actually, I'm supposed to be meeting Tom. I just stopped in early to say hi to a few friends. Without GracieGrace, it seems people see less of me. Can't have anyone forgetting my existence!"

Kicks smiled, not lifting his gaze from her shoes. "I doubt anyone would forget you, Labelle. You brighten up the city for us. It's a lot more quiet without you awound."

"You are NOT the first to tell me this! Am I that loud?" Labelle pouted, watching the amused skunk laugh at her words. She almost felt ironically homesick seeing the place after being away for even a couple of days. That is something Katrina would tease her about, had the cat been there at that moment. She thought about asking Kicks if he'd received any letters from the fortune teller, but knowing what had happened recently, she held her tongue and simply continued to talk to him about the happenings in the city until he finished her shoes and she was forced along her way when the bus pulled up and a familiar raccoon stepped out with a few friends in tow behind him.

* * *

><p>–<br>Noon  
>–<p>

* * *

><p>Tom stared at Blanca as they all exited the bus, trying to decipher what in the world Navigale had drawn on her face. She'd gone on about making her look like a sir, but a female one, and ended up giving the cat a monocle amongst other fancy features. There were times when even the most intelligent of people seemed really, really out there, he supposed.<p>

Navigale adjusted her glasses as she came out after Rover, turning around to wave goodbye to a seriously saddened Kapp'n. "I will be back for ye when ye need me, ye sweet lass!" He closed the doors and drove off, a storm raging in his eyes, as he would put it.

She shook her head as the bus disappeared and turned towards Tom, waving energetically. "Maybe we'll see one-another on the bus right home! Have fun with your _date_!" She giggled good-naturedly and said her goodbyes to Rover and Blanca as they took off in an opposite direction. Then, she skipped towards the square and straight into the marquee. He supposed he really shouldn't be surprised by that.

"I should consider re-hiring her. She has great charisma!" Tom nodded slowly at this, considering how many people would possibly stop by Nookington's just to see the aqua-haired girl. Then again, she spent most her time in Brewster's when she wasn't out of town, and he'd hate to take away that bird's friend for money purposes.

Heck, he'd hate to take anyone away from that museum – even he felt sorry for all those workers standing there by themselves all day. He wondered if Navigale did too, hence her reasons for staying there so long.

In his pondering, he didn't notice Labelle approaching him with a conflicted look on her face, probably not sure if she should disturb him from his thoughts. By time he did notice her, she had decide to poke him on the ear to get his attention. He looked down at her and twitched his nose. "Ah – ah! I apologize, I tend to do that sometimes..." He chortled, waving his hand in front of him dismissively. "I didn't expect to see you here on time!"

"Must've been thinking about money," she suggested teasingly, then crossed her arms. "Oh, I came by to say hello to a couple friends. I get exceedingly guilty when certain raccoons tell me that my best friend has been sitting in the Happy Room building all lonely-like!" She puffed her cheeks out, causing her to look away innocently.

"I was only being observant. Don't be angry." Tom smiled, then turned to walk towards his left, motioning for her to come along. She followed, sending a glance at Redd's shop while they passed. He was outside getting ready to go in, but when he saw them, he made a face and went into Crazy Redd's laughing his head off. When Labelle slumped and muttered something slightly insulting under her breath, the raccoon sighed. "I'll refrain from asking."

"Yeah, yeah..." She straightened her posture and side-glanced at him, then took her gaze back in front of them, like she was analyzing the direction he took her. Obviously, they were heading away from the square and into the deeper part of the city, where animals wandered around like it was their job to shop and hang out with one-another. Basically, whenever they got bored in town, they came to the city to stand around... yup. "Where are we going?" Childishly impatient, she couldn't wait to find out.

"I figured we could visit the aquarium, actually." She blinked at him and he continued. "Normally I'd go to the museum for such things, but the residents in Karnia still consider it a work in progress."

Labelle nodded slowly. "Yeah, the museum in my town is the same way. There's only this one human guy there that cares about it, so it's moving along slowly." She sighed. She enjoyed such things and would offer to help if her schedule wasn't already planned out with every minute taken. "You really thought this through, didn't you?"

Tom blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, I just mean that usually you're pretty careful with your money. If you're going somewhere like this, where it costs a good sum to get in, you must've put a lot of thought into it, right?"

He twitched his ear, shaking his head. "There is a back-handed compliment in there somewhere, right?" When she got a sheepish look, he stopped her from apologizing by resting his paw on her shoulder. "Don't get a long face. You're right." He figured she was glad he was at least honest about it as opposed to beating around his greed, or the fact he'd actually put effort into their day out.

Labelle took her gaze back in front of them, then smiled. "Sooo, the aquarium, huh? Tom Nook likes things like that?"

He groaned and waved her off. "Actually, I'm just going to see how these places manage to get money out of others just by using fish as a lure." He felt her elbow him gently and laughed, knowing she saw right through him.

* * *

><p>–<p>

Tom came back towards Labelle with the two tickets in his hand, waving them in the air slowly. "These will get us into the aquarium, so be sure not to lose it or anything." He handed hers over and looked towards the aquarium entrance. Of course it was busy, but it was a good amount of animals.

"I'll try not to drop it into the shark tank." Labelle grabbed his wrist and took to pulling him towards the doors, stretching her free arm up energetically. "I haven't been to a proper aquarium since I was little. Do you think they'll have the little sting-rays you can pet?"

Tom groaned. "If they do, you're on your own touching them! I don't want to get my suit wet... And don't run, you'll fall." She slowed down at his words and turned to stick her tongue at him before continuing to the door. They handed their tickets to those at the door and walked inside. The entrance was decorated with different variants of fish decorations, which amused him to no end because there were a few penguins gathered around them. He had a good idea what they were discussing.

"So, apparently they split this up between freshwater fishies and ocean dwellers." Labelle was looking at the signs above the different hallways – the bottom one led to the freshwater area, while an escalator led to the second floor, where the ocean exhibits started. He doubted either one stayed on that respective floor, seeing as the building look rather large from the outside. "Any input on where we go first?"

"Not particularly, so long as we go to both of them at some point. Money's worth and all that!" He smiled when she rolled her eyes, then followed willingly as he was dragged to the freshwater area first.

While their time spent in that particular exhibit was quite interesting, filled mostly with both of them recounting their woes of attempting to fish in their respective towns and failing miserably at having caught this or that, as well as her grabbing him and forcing him to pet some of the rays they had out in the open between both the ocean and freshwater areas, it wasn't until they got to the shark tunnel in the ocean zone that Tom was filled with more than just joy – this area came with a great deal of amusement as he currently watched the porcupine crawling into one of the little bubbles to stare upward at the shark swimming above her.

Her eyes were wide as she scrambled a small camera from her purse and began snapping pictures of everything that she could possibly see. Luckily all the younger visitors were in the more elaborate bubbles, whereas the one she found seemed to just be more of a window-like bench if anything. He sat on the edge of it and turned to his side so he could see her.

"Look at these! I've never even seen half of these fish! How come the sharks don't eat them?"

"Probably because the aquarium keeps them fed?" Tom blinked and leaned in further to see she was referencing a school of rare fish, but it was hard to keep his focus with the wavy water above both of them. "I can't imagine they'd be so docile otherwise. Then again, my experience lies within selling wares, not discussing fish. I think Blathers would be the best to ask a question such as that."

"Hmm." Labelle pursed her lips, no doubt wondering why he took her random inquiry so seriously. Then, she remembered this was Tom, and he only really only recognized jokes when they were very obvious or ironically during work hours. "I will have to visit Blathers before heading over to Nookington's one day!"

She wondered if he knew anything about aquarium upkeep. Wasn't he the only one that took care of the exhibits, aside from his sister? She needed to pay more attention to residents in Karnia, now that she thought about it.

She shrugged it off and pulled Tom Nook with her as she readily hurried along to the rest of the tanks. He had a feeling if he'd asked what the highlight of that particular building had been, she wouldn't have known what to answer. He was hardly surprised to know that she was easily impressed, but even he found staring at fish a good way to waste time if one had the correct company.

That would explain why so many spent that amount of money on the aquarium, of all places.

When they got to the jellyfish room, which was as dark as night, they stood in front of the glass, staring at the jellies that lit up like stars in the water. One would think they were standing in front of the sky had it not been for the glass tank stopping their paw from touching the glowing fish. Labelle had her nose pressed against the glass, eyes widened in wonder once more. He stood beside her calmly and tried to see if there was anyway to tell them apart from each-other, but found it increasingly useless.

How Blathers was able to decipher what was what when he got donations, Tom Nook would never truly know. He'd stick to cheating by using the little books when someone came to sell him such things.

"By the way, why did you choose the aquarium?" Labelle was tracing one with her paw as it swam around, looking oddly determined, like she thought she'd catch it in her grasp.

"What do you mean?" He followed her as she inched down the tank in the large room, craftily avoiding any animals that may collide with them.

"Well, it's just that it doesn't seem like something you'd be interested in. Or maybe you are? You always joke around about money when it comes to things like this, so it's kind of hard to tell." She laughed nervously, probably afraid she'd insulted him, but he only chuckled.

"Ah – I see your point. I'll work on giving serious answers in the future. To answer your original question, however, I am interested in things like this. People bring fish and other such things to sell to my shop a lot, and they always look really strange. I prefer to see them alive. And the aquarium is also a typical first date spot, yes?"

Labelle froze at his words, her eyes widening. She snapped her head around to look at him, her cheeks burning. "D – date?"

Tom blinked at her strangely, tilting his head. "Hm?"

"N – no, it's nothing! I'm glad you chose the aquarium." Labelle regained herself and smiled going back to playing with the jellyfish, whether they were aware of it or not. She suddenly seemed more energetic than before, humming to herself. He shook his head at her and tapped the glass, wondering if the jellyfish were aware of their presence.

When they got to the end of their water journey, he noticed it was already dark outside. He stopped with her at the exit and motioned over to the gift shop. "You want anything?" She seemed surprised by his offer, but he almost laughed when he realized she didn't dare combat it with modesty. She tore right into that shop and went straight for the stuffed animals. He was not surprised.

"Hm, hm..." Labelle stared at them seriously, as if she were shopping for a car as opposed to a keepsake from an aquarium. Finally, she picked up a rather large jellyfish that was part stuffed animal, part pillow. When she turned to face him, her gaze was determined. "This one!" She held it in front of his face, her lips pouted out like a child's. Paired with the style of someone that had been dressing for Gracie for so many years, it seemed misplaced, which made it funnier.

"This one it is then!" Tom shook his head and smiled, grabbing the pillow from her and walking to the counter to pay for it. His bells sobbed in sorry, but he paid no such mind to it. He found that sacrificing a bit of his hard-earned wages for someone as pleasant as Labelle served him better than hanging onto it needlessly. Once he'd paid for it, he passed it into her grasp and watched as she buried her face into it. Rolling his eyes, he took her by the elbow and led her along with him to keep her from running into anything, unsure if she could exactly see with it in her face.

"Shans fer brinshinh me wihhsh yu – !" Tom twitched his ear, not exactly sure if he'd heard that correctly, seeing as her voice was muffled by the jellyfish, but he got the gist of it.

"It was more fun with you than it would have been alone." He nodded matter-of-factly as they exitted the building and started leading her back towards the city, where their bus stops awaited them. Both of them remained quiet for the remainder of the walk, somehow completely comfortable with the silence. They had probably talked enough the whole day to last them quite a while.

After a bit, she lifted her head up and hugged the jellyfish into her chest, her chin resting on top of the stuffed animal. "So..." He looked at her as she started talking and noticed she was fidgeted a bit. "Was this, uh... really a date?"

He blinked at her a few times, wondering if she was serious. "Yes," he answered calmly, and she seemed content with just that. Nothing more extravagant needed to be said.

"Okay." She smiled and smooshed her face back into the jellyfish. He chuckled nudged one of her arms away from the fluffy monstrosity. He held her paw and took to pulling her along. As they got to her bus stop first, he turned to face her and released it just as quickly, tilting his head. She looked up at him expectantly, having developed a blush at some point.

He smiled. "Don't be late for work tomorrow," he chimed, then turned and started making his way further back into the square, where he could make out the shape of Navigale standing at the bus stop with a camouflage frog that looked like he was in her presence against his will.

"Aww, come on!" Labelle whined behind him, but he didn't turn to look at her. He figured she had been expecting that in the first place. He stood in line behind the frog and caught Navi's eye. She smiled and waved, then nudged her friend.

"Hey, Camofrog! You sure you don't want to change your mind? You, me, and Nook here could play hide-and-seek or something–"

"No!" Camofrog huffed, shaking his head slowly. Navigale stared at him for a long time, her eyes widening in a puppy-dog fashion. As if the frog could feel it boring into his mind, he sighed and looked begrudgingly at Tom Nook. "You know anyone who'd be up for a game of hide-and-seek some day this week?"

Tom got an exasperated look. "If you drag me into this, Navigale, you're both going to be working at my store all of next week."

* * *

><p><strong>Time for notes that everyone totally cares about! 8D<strong>

**1} There! Promise kept! A longer chapter and shorter update time! I don't absolutely hate this chapter either, so I consider that an accomplishment all on its own. :)**

**2} I have decided this will not be my last AC:CF story, either. But all you get to know for now is that the next one I write will mostly revolve around Brewster. You officially get to know nothing more until the last chapter of His Bag of Bells. :D ILY2. Lol, I always have to start planning ahead of time or my creative brain just dies when it comes time to actually get writing.**

**3} CAMEOS. CAMEOS EVERYWHERE!**

**Thanks for your reviews thus far and sticking with my bipolar updating. It means a lot. :,D**

**Matron of Madness.**

**Mandatory P.S. - So, I recently started playing City Folk again and realized that somehow my game save got deleted. ;w; Insert #FEELS gif here. At first I was sad and wanted to kick my closet door, but then I realized it wasn't so bad. Now I have something to do by having to start all the way over. The only sad thing is that I lost Camofrog in my town. He's been in all my towns since the first AC. :( But I did get Vladimir, so I was pleasantly surprised by him.~**

**If anyone wants to trade friend codes, I'd love to do just that. Feel free to PM me. C: My museum sucks and my house is only level 2 and furniture is thrown on the floor randomly because I literally just started yesterday, but you know, I'll get back to where I was one day. -shakes fist-**


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